After cancelling his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, US President Donald Trump is optimistic that his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, will persuade the Russian leader to halt the war in Ukraine.
“I believe he can significantly influence Putin… Look, he is a respected individual. He is a very strong leader from a large country. Yes, I think it can have a substantial impact. We will certainly discuss Russia and Ukraine,” Trump stated. His remarks were made prior to a meeting with Xi in South Korea next month.
While Trump has taken it upon himself to bring an end to the three-year-long conflict, he is experiencing frustration with Putin. “Every time I converse with Vladimir, I have productive discussions, yet they lead to no results,” Trump remarked on Wednesday.
However, despite Trump’s disruption of a long-standing Western policy aimed at isolating the Russian leader, he has achieved little tangible progress towards a peace agreement thus far.
Trump imposes sanctions on Russia
Washington has enacted severe sanctions against Rosneft and Lukoil, the two largest oil companies in Moscow. These sanctions were the first to be imposed on Russia since Trump returned to the White House and are intended to diminish crucial revenue from oil sales for Russia.
“Now is the moment to cease the violence and call for an immediate ceasefire,” stated Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in a statement regarding the sanctions against Russia.
“In light of President Putin’s refusal to terminate this senseless conflict, the Treasury is sanctioning Russia’s two largest oil companies that finance the Kremlin’s military operations. The Treasury is ready to take additional measures if necessary to support President Trump’s initiative to end yet another war. We urge our allies to join us in adhering to these sanctions,” he added.
Trump-Putin meeting on hold
Trump expressed that he did not wish to have a “wasted meeting” with Russian President Vladimir Putin after the potential for an in-person meeting between the two was postponed.
“I wish to avoid an unproductive meeting,” Trump stated to reporters in the Oval Office when questioned about the postponement of the encounter with Putin. “I do not wish to squander time, so I will wait to see how things unfold.”
Trump pointed out that a significant obstacle between himself and Putin continues to be Russia’s unwillingness to cease hostilities along the existing front line. On Tuesday, the White House declared that there are presently “no plans” for a meeting between the two leaders.
